Bill transport and stacking mechanism for currency handling machines

In a document handling system for processing documents such as currency bills, the system including an input path for receiving currency bills to be processed along which bills may be moved along a first direction, an output path along which bills may be moved along a second direction, a curved guideway disposed between said input and output paths and for accepting bills from said input path and guiding them along said second direction onto said output path, and a pair of spacing wheels disposed downstream of the output path and spaced therefrom for receiving bills moving out of the output path and stacking them for subsequent removal, each of said stacking wheels having multiple flexible blades for capturing and holding successive bills from said output path,

• the improvement comprising means for exerting transverse bending forces on the leading opposite side edges of a processed bill before said bill moves away from contact with said output path and into engagement with said stacking wheels, said forces effectively stiffening the leading longitudinal edge of said bill so as to prevent said leading bill edge from moving away from said output path and said stacking wheels.